The next morning comes by quickly, and the next few to follow. Toriel would awaken Frisk at a reasonable hour and the two would lounge at the table, or go bug hunting at her favorite bug hunting spot, or eat pie together. Toriel truly was the mother that Frisk never had, or could never remember having. She was content to just be taken care of for a little while, but her heart yearned for something she could not explain. The cyan jacket? Toriel's warmth? An escape back to the human world? Frisk had no idea what she truly wanted, and while the thought of leaving Toriel plagued her beyond explanation, she knew that the world beyond that starircase, while 'dangerous, negative, and scary', was the only way she would be able to go home. Maybe the staircase was all that separated her and the cyan jacket.

"Tori," Frisk started slowly, while Toriel was braiding her hair. She had come up with that nickname on the spot and Toriel preferred it to the alternative…"Miss Toriel, ma'am". "Tori, if it's alright with you, I think I might need to head out soon." 'Be firm. Stay determined.'

Toriel stopped braiding and paused silently for a moment, then continued braiding. "My child, I was thinking today we could go bring some of the flowers from the ruins back and place them in a vase. Maybe afterward we can talk about renovating your room; I know that the room itself seems rather childish…"

"N-no, Tori, the room is completely alright. I just feel like I need to go." Before she even knew what she was saying, the words gushed out of her mouth. She turned around to face Toriel quickly, feeling guilty beneath her brown bangs. "Not that you haven't been wonderful to me, but…I need to get back to the surface."

"What do you have on the surface that I cannot give you here?" She asked calmly. Frisk felt herself grow nervous.

"I…" the little brunette started, unsure of what to say. Truly, the only thing that she needed was to find the person from her dreams. To find him and learn about him and ask questions and keep his broken heart from breaking further. But…she had only talked with Toriel about her dream once, and the time that she did she could feel the guilt of making her newly found goat-mom worry immensely.

"My child, I have something I must do. Excuse me." Toriel, wearing a look of worry and her own determination, left Frisk sitting in her chair.

The sky was black, and empty. It seemed more of a cave than a sky, truly. Snow fell around her in heaps, and she found herself wanting to play in it terribly. Her arms were thrown out toward a particularly large pile of snow, when a fluffy blue jacket hood popped out from the pile, a grin on his face.

'I'm snow happy you could make it, kiddo.' He pulled an arm up, which had a perfectly manicured snowball in it. 'I'll be sure and make sure you have a ball.'

Right before he was able to throw it, another snowball hit him in the face. There was loud yelling in the background. "YES, THAT IS HOW THE GREAT AND MIGHTY PAPYRUS TAKES ON ALL HIS FOES THAT HE DOESN'T HAVE BECAUSE HE IS SO LOVED." He continues shouting. You feel the laughter creep into your very soul and release it, laughing pleasantly. The blue hooded figure wipes the snow from his face and his eyes shower you in warmth, and in a sweet, friendly love.

You cannot recall a time where you were happier.

The clock against the wall was a little fast, according to Toriel (who swore up and down she would fix it if it ever became a hindrance!), but it was easy enough to figure out that it was about 3am. You

Frisk's eyes opened slowly, the warmth from her dream blanketing her heart in happiness. He looked so happy. He was so…pale. Skeletal, even. "That's…not really possibly though, is it?" She pondered aloud, mind falling back on the initial though. He was happy. And she was absolutely sure that his happiness was what decorated her lips with a sweet smile.

The clock against the wall was a little fast, according to Toriel (who swore up and down she would fix it if it ever became a hindrance!), but it was easy enough to figure out that it was about 3am. Feeling a little parched, Frisk hopped out of bed to go get some water.

Toriel had made absolutely certain that at night if Frisk had needed anything, she would be well illuminated. Tiny, pink nightlights adorned the bottom of the wall all the way to the kitchen. Frisk smiled to herself at the thoughtfulness. However, a different color emanated from the stairwell.

"Kiddo."

Her eyes widened. That voice was from her dreams, without a shadow of a doubt. She stared in the direction it came from, not wanting to awaken Toriel should she be sleeping. "It's coming from…the stairwell?" Her voice was almost muted as she gawked at the stairwell…

…and the lack of a lock it had on it. Blue flame briefly jumped out of the lock itself. The light began to fade as it moved down the stairs. She jumped toward the stairs, grabbing the railing and spinning quickly. "Wait! Please, wait!" Loudly, she called out for the light to stop moving. It was a torturous, mad sprint from the bottom of the stairwell to the several corners where the light was just starting to fade. The hallway was old, the floor was brittle, and Frisk was barefoot. She knew that without a doubt, her feet would be blistered, but she could not possibly care less. The light was there. His voice followed it.

"Frisk."

She was so close. Soon enough, a large door appeared, dusted and crusted over by the ancient hands of time. It seemed as if the door hadn't opened in a long time…and she ran into it full force, expecting it to open. After the initial, brief stumble, she backed away from the door, one hand on her nose and the other against the door. How did it open? She had to get out there. He…he could be there. Waiting on the other side. Why else would he call to her? She banged on the door almost desperately. He slept in her dreams, created her nightmares. She had to have answers, and this could be the closest she would ever be.

"My child, what are you doing here?" Toriel had appeared behind her, holding a candle to illuminate the darkness. Her eyes were a mixture of confusion and sympathy. "How did you unlock the lock? We should return to our home."

"Toriel, I have to…" Frisk turned around to see Toriel's eyes and she stiffened a little. "I have to go. Someone is calling me. They were just here."

"That's impossible, my child, the door never opened…" Toriel approached the door and looked at it sadly. Frisk genuinely threw her arms out while she explained.

"There was a blue light, Tori! A blue light, calling to me, and I…please, you have to let me go find it."

Toriel placed a clawed hand on the door and looked back at Frisk steely. "I have been meaning to destroy this door. You know what I have been telling you—the king of monsters will take your soul. Harvest it for a purpose of pure idiocy. I won't let you put yourself in danger like that, my child."

"T-toriel…" You begin, stepping towards her. She brings her hand out and her fingertips glow.

"You will have to fight me to leave. Prove to me that you can live beyond these walls and I will let you go freely." She had hardened considerably. Frisk stared her down and shook her head softly, holding out her hands as if negotiating.

"Tori, I can't—I won't hurt you. You've been so kind to me. Surely the monsters out there aren't as bad as you say. I just…can't stay here—" Frisk found herself cut off when Toriel threw magical, white balls of light at her. Without thinking, she was able to jump out of the way and avoid being hit by most of them, except one that went astray. The ball flew past her cheek and cut her slightly, a small droplet of blood rolling down her cheek. Toriel's emotions claimed her face. She begged the younger lady to rethink her decision. Life could be so sweet and wonderful. It didn't have to be this way, but Frisk knew it did.

"Tori, I don't want to fight you." The young, sweater clad woman stood firm. Her determination was stronger than ever. "I won't do it." Even Toriel couldn't believe that she stood so unwaveringly. She feared nothing, but her gentle heart would surely…surely.

"Perhaps…you are right, my child," her hand fell down. Frisk immediately ran to her and hugged her tightly, the smell of cardamom and lilacs filling her nose. "Perhaps there is a world out there that will love you…almost as much as I do. Maybe more." She smiled sadly. "But…if you leave, you must not come back. I cannot let you." Her eyes glaze over with sadness. "This…has happened to me before, you see. Children who fall through that hole and leave this ruin have been destined for their own demise." Her words stab Frisk in the heart.

"Toriel…thank you," Frisk starts, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thank you for taking care of me…thank you for worrying about me. Thank you." Toriel's hand came to her face and gently fanned her eyes. She, too, was crying. Suddenly, she reaches out and wrapped Frisk in a sweet embrace, holding her eighteen year old body close as if she were only a small child again.

"Come, let us get your belongings so you may have a safe journey." She extended her hand, and Frisk took it without a second thought. Together, they packed some food, grabbed her shoes, and Frisk dawned her purple striped sweater.

Toriel stood next to the opened door, smiling sadly and waving. "Goodbye, my sweet child. Stay safe." Her hands touched the young brunette's. "Stay happy, my sweet Frisk. No matter what."